She slung her blonde hair up into a ponytail and tightened the wraps around her legs and fists. Jo was a street brawler in the underground of Hoenn. Not many girls were found fighting in the underground, but if one showed up, it wasn't to mess around. They fought just as professionally as the guys, and could win just as easily as well. The girl finished getting ready, cracked her knuckles and neck, then headed up to the ring.

Jo was up against a burly man. He was taller and had much more muscle then the young fighter. The bell dinged and the fight began. She could hear the upset shouts from the spectators.

"This isn't a fair match up!"

"Difference!"

"Difference!"

Difference was something said to change opponents in a match if the ring runners didn't think that a match up was fair. Jo waved to shush the crowd. She could handle herself! Her opponent swung at Jo, aiming for her jaw. She brought her arms up to block, leaving her stomach open; which was punched squarely. She coughed harshly as the guy backed up and went back into a stance. Jo teetered back into her own stance and raised her fists. This guy could easily overpower her when it came to sheer force, but she had him when it came down to speed. Her goal was to now try to tire him out. She circled him, studying each slight movement he made. Her opponent flexed his fingers then lunged for Jo, who rolled to the left. Her boots holding decent traction on the blood-spattered concrete beneath her as she leaped around. She would climb the fencing around them to avoid his lunges. She was doing everything she could to wear him down.

He eventually began to see a pattern in Jo's movement. When she went to leap onto the fence, he grabbed her by the back of her shirt and slammed her to the ground. Pain exploded in the back of Jo's head and she saw nothing but stars. Another pain. Another. Another. She could feel her blood pooling, and splashing up onto her face as her head was smashed repeatedly into the cement.

Jo lay there, paralyzed in pain. She could barely feel the hands of the ring medics placing her onto a stretcher. She could barely hear the angry shouts and protests of the spectators. Through glazing eyes, however, Jo watched as someone paid off her opponent; the man giving the money received a photo of Jo in return. There was a break point on her?! (Break point is like an assassination hit, but the person was to be killed either in the ring, on the way to the hospital, or in the hospital itself.) As she was loaded into a waiting ambulance, Jo couldn't help but wonder; why would there be a break point on here? And who put it there?

She woke up in the hospital, head bandaged up. To her left were several cards reading things like; "Get better soon!" "Keep fighting, fighter!" and "You'll make it!" Among the cards and small teddy bears, was a pokeball with a note attached. Jo placed the ball on her lap and read the note.

'Josaline,

Your mother heard about what happened. She and I were mixed up for a while; we didn't know what to do with you. So after a few days of sitting at your bedside and talking, we've made our decision. When you recover, you are to take the pokemon and what money you have and leave. We don't care where you go, but you are no longer welcome at home. We've told you countless of times to stay out of the underground and away from fighting, but you never listened. Maybe you'll listen now; You were a mistake to adopt. Out of all the kids there, my wife decided to love you. We did everything we could to keep you safe. We did everything we could to give you a life that we thought you deserved. Maybe this is why your real parents gave you up. Maybe they were afraid of raising a disappointment. Perhaps you shouldn't have lived through this.

Goodbye,

Mason'

The note fell from her hands in shock. She felt something inside her break as she stared at the pokeball on her lap. Jo prayed that is was something that could help her out, now that she was on her own. In a burst of light, she released what was inside the pokeball. A small Cyndaquil yawned and looked up at her. The flames on it's back flared up as it greeted its new trainer. At least she'll have company. As she smiled at her pokemon, she felt her chest tighten and she found it difficult to breathe.

"G-Get H-Help!" she choked out, commanding the pokemon. It looked up at her and whined worriedly. "H-h-hurry!"

The cyndaquil hopped off the bed and ran into the hall, crying for help. Several doctors ran in and began to stabilize Jo. After a grueling two hours, Jo reached out and pulled the fire type close.

"Hurry." she smiled as the pokemon suddenly became alert at the word. "That will be your name from now on."

Three more week passed and Jo finally recovered.She walked out of the hospital with Hurry on her shoulder. The girl passed by her home and decided to stop and look into the living room window. Her adoptive mother was holding a framed photo her and Jo when they went to Foretree City for a weekend. She could see the pain in the woman's eyes when her adoptive father, Mason, took the photo from her. He said something Jo couldn't hear, then he snapped the picture in half and tossed it to the floor. Jo then heard him yell;

"The brat is dead to me! Do NOT mention that name in my house EVER again!"

He stomped out of the room and Jo tapped lightly on the window. Her adoptive mother ran to the window and opened it just enough to get a hug on the girl. Jo could feel tears on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry... I couldn't stop him!" She whispered. "I never knew he didn't like you..."

"It's alright... Truth be told, I didn't like him either." She stepped back from the window and handed her adoptive mother a slip of paper. "I need to go before he catches me here. Give me a call when you can, ok? I want to make sure you're alright every once in a while."

Her mother nodded and Jo walked off. As she walked, she got an email from an unknown source.

'Greetings, Josaline Marku.

My name is Professor Green Oak. I heard that you got the Cyndaquil I had sent over to you while you were in the hospital. Sorry to hear about what had happened, by the way. I'm extending an invitation to you, as well as a few others to help me out in my research. Meet me in the Celadon City Pokemon Center in the Kanto Region. I hope to see you there!'

This was a great story - I know Loka technically died, and lost an eye, but she still has a family. Cerise has a mother and a grandmother, and Decoda has a father and family friends. Catia even has a mother and a sister and Genesis has friends.Jo has that permanant scar of emotional breakage, twice (due to the adoption AND being disowned), so she clearly has the worst backstory of all the Pokemon trainers at this point.Who knows how much worse or better it will get?

I also like the way she gave the name to Cyndaquil!That was a good way to do it.